Students are Chattanooga State Community College’s top priority. The College has added one more way to prove it. 

Thanks to a Childcare Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, Chattanooga State’s Child Development Center (CDC) is making plans to expand services into the evening hours and to provide childcare tuition assistance for low-income student parents beginning in the fall 2019 semester. “This is a great opportunity to help many parents finish their education so they will be better able to provide for their families,” states Vicki Headrick, CDC director.

Based on a recent campus survey, 70 percent of respondents list family obligations as one of the leading reasons they do not enroll and 82 percent say they work at least part-time. The CDC carries a waiting list of approximately 20 childcare students per semester and turns away at least 25 others due to parents’ financial constraints.

A study conducted by Chattanooga 2.0 showed there are more than 15,000 jobs that are not currently filled by residents based on educational requirements. Many individuals are unqualified for a majority of the area’s living wage jobs. This CDC program expansion will help close the gap by providing more high-quality learning opportunities.

To meet the needs of area employers and address student goals, the CCAMPIS grant will help to create additional flexible class schedules that will include evening hours, especially for low-income students with families, and design a new evening daycare program to match. The funding will provide vitally-needed daycare expense assistance for low-income student parents to use anytime the Center is open, some additional personnel, and computer equipment for the new evening initiative.

By using part of the grant to supplement the expenses of low-income student parents who were previously turned away from the CDC, it translates into allowing nearly 100 new student parents to pursue their education each year. This initiative is projected to serve more than 400 learners by 2022 when the grant ends.

The Child Development Center has operated on campus for the past 41 years. The high-quality Three-Star rated facility is licensed through the Tennessee Department of Human Services. It serves as a training ground for students enrolled in the school’s Early Childhood Education program.

For additional information about this grant, please contact Nancy Patterson, Vice President for College Advancement and Public Relations at (423) 697-2630.